Other Computer Sciences Commons^™

A Machine-Learning-Based Systematic Framework For Modeling Compression And Recompression Indices For Florida Soils, Michael Morales

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis develops a machine-learning framework for estimating the compression index and the recompression index of Florida soils from routinely measured index properties, and reports two studies that build it. Consolidation settlement design requires both indices, and both are obtained from the incremental-loading oedometer test, which occupies a specimen for one to two weeks; the index tests that accompany it are complete within hours. Empirical correlations have filled that interval since the 1950s, but their coefficients are calibrated on specific soil populations and transfer poorly between regions. The first study analyzes 376 consolidation tests compiled for the Florida Department of …

Analyzing The Writing Style Of Generative Ai When Prompted With Writing Samples, Samuel Mcdowell

Senior Honors Theses

Authorship attribution is an important topic in today’s world of Large Language Models (LLMs). It is the technology that helps to verify the author of a written work. This study explores whether LLMs can successfully mimic an individual’s writing style if they are given a text sample. A dataset of human-written texts was collected and used to prompt several LLMs to generate new texts that attempt to replicate the original author’s stylistic characteristics. The generated texts were then tested with modern authorship attribution models to determine whether they would be identified as being written by the original author. The results …

Developing A Framework For Microchip Design Recovery, Eric Diep

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Due to the increase in diverse chip production over the past decade, reverse engineering has become a difficult and daunting task. This research develops a methodology for microchip design recovery, seeking to validate and reproduce prior approaches to physical reverse engineering using low-cost tools and techniques. We used mechanical hardware abrasion tools and techniques to delayer and capture silicon integrated chip (IC) layout. We focused on the Mifare Classic EVl microchip, commonly implemented in public transit/transportation cards, to extract information for design recovery. The research explores limitations and advantages of mechanical abrasion and optical microscopy in context to modem chip …

Escaping Isolation: An Analysis Of Virtual Machine And Container Breakout Vulnerabilities, Felix Iov

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Cloud computing providers rely on multi-tenant architectures to maximize resource efficiency. This infrastructure depends on virtualization, which provides isolation between clients. This comes primarily in the form of Virtual Machines (VMs) and Containers. However, “breakout attacks” or “escapes” are a critical threat where attackers bypass these isolation layers to gain unauthorized access to the host system and neighboring environments. This paper surveys virtualization escape threats and analyzes three case studies: a runc container escape (Leaky Vessels), a VMware ESXi VM escape (VSOCKPuppet), and an NVIDIA GPU container escape (NVIDIAScape). Each demonstrates different attack surfaces, including file descriptor misuse, kernel driver …

Expressive And Interpretable User Engagement Prediction Using Multivariate Survival Processes, Akshay Aravamudan

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to characterize how information diffuses online is of paramount importance to stakeholders that are interested in tasks such as proposing solutions for mitigating and countering dis/misinformation, predicting user engagement of content in social media, planning marketing campaigns to roll-out products and planning dissemination of political campaign messaging among others. One such facet of learning the dynamics of information diffusion is the ability to predict user engagement or the popularity of a single piece of information as it spreads through an online medium. Existing works in this regard mainly either obfuscate user level information or utilize frameworks that are …

A System And Method For Measuring Spatially Varying Surface Appearances With A Study Of Feathers, Jessica Baron-Lis

All Dissertations

Real-world materials, particularly biological structures such as feathers exhibit complex appearances that vary spatially across their surfaces. The field of computer graphics provides a means of understanding such surfaces through material modeling which uses both analytical models and data acquired from light-surface interactions. There are many efforts within the past decade in measuring materials for graphics, but common limitations in these works include not accounting for spatially varying properties and reliance on neural networks and synthetic datasets.

Feathers from modern birds present diverse appearances due to how light interacts with their unique hierarchical microstructures. Variations in those structures lead to …

In Memoriam - Nora Sabelli: Master Orchestrator Of Grant Programs And Mentor For Advancing The Interdisciplinary Learning Sciences Field, Eric Hamilton, Jeremy Roschelle, Roy Pea, Barbara Means, Louis Gomez, Kim Gomez, Nancy Butler Songer

Education Division Scholarship

On Friday, September 6, 2024, the learning sciences field lost a giant in Dr. Nora Sabelli, 87 years old, a personal mentor to many researchers and an inspiration to so many learning scientists and STEM leaders. Nora’s first professional career was as a computational chemist, and later she became a passionate leader in research for improving STEM education. Nora’s time as a senior program officer at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate was legendary; she was a force of nature who reshaped funding priorities for stronger science and a stronger connection of science to education …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of The Mazi Umntanakho Digital Tool In South African Settings: A Qualitative Evaluation, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Jesus A. Beltran, Franceli L. Cibrian, Kimberley D. Lakes, Hanna Mofid, Lucretia Williams, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

To address the need for interventions targeting social emotional development and mental health of young children in South Africa, the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool was co-designed, and piloted with caregivers and 3–5-year-old children involved in home visiting programmes promoting early childhood development. The aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this tool in four urban and four rural low-income communities, from the perspective of home visitors and caregivers. Focus groups were conducted with home visitors (n = 117) and caregivers (n = 72). Issues relating to the feasibility of …

Personalized Physics Learning Through Ai: Insights From Problem Generation, Chatbot Dialogues, And Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Atharva Dange

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform science education, yet questions remain on how best to integrate these technologies into teaching and learning. This dissertation investigates the use of AI-driven tools in university physics courses through three complementary studies. In the first study, a generative language model (ChatGPT) was used to create novel physics homework problems aligned with course objectives. Analysis showed that, after expert vetting, AI-generated questions can foster higher-order problem-solving and reduce student reliance on solution memorization, though careful instructor oversight is required to ensure accuracy. The second study embedded an AI chatbot as a learning aid in …

Patterns Of Interactions In Human-Machine Teams, Kazuhiko Momose

Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly capable machines, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents are playing a more important role in a wide range of applications, including human daily activities and safety-critical systems. They can benefit even more when humans and such machines agents work together as a team by leveraging each other's strengths and complementing each other to enhance overall performance. To design high-performing teams, it is critical to analyze the team dynamics and understand how humans and machines interact with each other. Collaboration, Coordination, and Cooperation (3Cs) are terms typically used to describe the behavior of teams. However, these terms tend to be used …

Basic Safety Message Generation Through A Video-Based Analytics For Potential Safety Application, Abyad Enan

All Theses

With the advancement of modern artificial intelligence techniques, computer vision can play a vital role in enhancing roadway safety by reducing the risk of imminent collisions. To do so, a vision-based safety application is required, where a roadside camera can monitor the roadway traffic and predict potential risks of crashes in real-time. If any risky situation or behavior is observed that may lead to a crash, then a safety application can send warnings to the vehicles at risk. For vision-based safety applications on a roadway section, it is important to accurately monitor each vehicle’s location, speed, acceleration, heading direction, etc. …

Integrating Authentication Schemes In Augmented And Virtual Reality Classrooms, Naheem Noah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technologies are revolutionizing educational experiences, but their widespread adoption hinges on addressing critical security and usability challenges, particularly in the domain of user authentication. This research presents an investigation into the security landscape of AR/VR and explores a graphical authentication scheme called “Things” that enhances both security and usability in immersive learning environments. Through a systematic evaluation of popular AR/VR devices and applications, potential vulnerabilities and limitations were identified, such as high usage of pin/passwords which are susceptible to shoulder-surfing attacks, lack of multi-factor authentication, and unclear data-sharing practices. A review of existing knowledge-based …

Analyzing The Usability, Performance, And Cost-Efficiency Of Deploying Ml Models On Various Cloud Computing Platforms, Hongyu Wang

Masters Theses (Archived)

With the enhanced computing capabilities and accessibility to cloud resources, major cloud computing providers such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure offer Machine Learning (ML) and AI services. Their primary purpose is to provide efficiency, scalability, and adaptability in modern software development and IT operations while reducing overall costs and operational complexity. However, prospective customers of the services often question which ML-AI service will best suit their organizational and business needs. This study compares and analyzes the usability, performance, and cost-efficiency of deploying Machine Learning (ML) models across three cloud platforms: GCP, AWS, and …

Bridging Design And Perception: Novel Tools And Technologies For Creating Effective Human-Robot Interactions, Benjamin Dossett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores human perception of robots through the use of novel tools and technologies. First, the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) data presentation on human perception of robots is investigated. A study conducted with the AR human-robot teaming system found that robot performance significantly influenced participants’ perceptions, overshadowing the impact of matching or mismatching robot confidence feedback. Second, the DU Want to Build-A-Bot platform is presented, which enables participatory robot design and opens the door for novel research of how robot design affects human perception. The Build-A-Bot platform enables the collection of diverse robot designs, facilitating machine learning analysis …

Toward Intuitive 3d Interactions In Virtual Reality: A Deep Learning- Based Dual-Hand Gesture Recognition Approach, Trudi Di Qi, Franceli L. Cibrian, Meghna Raswan, Tyler Kay, Hector M. Camarillo-Abad, Yuxin Wen

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Dual-hand gesture recognition is crucial for intuitive 3D interactions in virtual reality (VR), allowing the user to interact with virtual objects naturally through gestures using both handheld controllers. While deep learning and sensor-based technology have proven effective in recognizing single-hand gestures for 3D interactions, research on dual-hand gesture recognition for VR interactions is still underexplored. In this work, we introduce CWT-CNN-TCN, a novel deep learning model that combines a 2D Convolution Neural Network (CNN) with Continuous Wavelet Transformation (CWT) and a Temporal Convolution Network (TCN). This model can simultaneously extract features from the time-frequency domain and capture long-term dependencies using …

Side Channel Detection Of Pc Rootkits Using Nonlinear Phase Space, Rebecca Clark

Poster Presentations

Cyberattacks are increasing in size and scope yearly, and the most effective and common means of attack is through malicious software executed on target devices of interest. Malware threats vary widely in terms of behavior and impact and, thus, effective methods of detection are constantly being sought from the academic research community to offset both volume and complexity. Rootkits are malware that represent a highly feared threat because they can change operating system integrity and alter otherwise normally functioning software. Although normal methods of detection that are based on signatures of known malware code are the standard line of defense, …

Side Channel Detection Of Pc Rootkits Using Nonlinear Phase Space, Rebecca Clark

Honors Theses

Cyberattacks are increasing in size and scope yearly, and the most effective and common means of attack is through malicious software executed on target devices of interest. Malware threats vary widely in terms of behavior and impact and, thus, effective methods of detection are constantly being sought from the academic research community to offset both volume and complexity. Rootkits are malware that represent a highly feared threat because they can change operating system integrity and alter otherwise normally functioning software. Although normal methods of detection that are based on signatures of known malware code are the standard line of defense, …

Cloud Computing Integration Into Mixed-Reality: Physical To Abstraction, Yassine Chahid, Patrick Slattery

Publications and Research

This research evaluates the progression of cloud computing and mixed-reality technologies, and to identify how these technologies influence advancements in the latter. Both cloud computing and mixed reality have significantly impacted the IT field and the services available to the public and various institutions. Cloud computing provides a valuable way to process information or allocate computational resources on otherwise limited hardware. Augmented or virtual reality hardware would greatly benefit from this by offloading resource-intensive tasks to other machines. The research methodology involves analyzing essential components of both innovations, divided into multiple categories. These components range from physical, hardware-based elements to …

Objective.Gg: Uniting Scholastic Esports, Douglas Beirne

Posters - 2024

Objective.gg is a startup recruitment platform within the scholastic esports scene that seeks to unite esports prospects with collegiate esports programs in an effective manner. Objective.gg seeks to accomplish its mission by operating an online platform that allows prospects and collegiate coaches to create their own profiles and connect with one another, building a community in the process. This platform will begin with a free tier, but additional features will be offered through a subscription-based model with two additional pricing tiers to choose from. The online platform will be supported by free online and paid in-person tournaments for Objective.gg platform …

Adaptive Neh With Constrained Nearest Neighbor Subtours For The Electric Vehicle Routing Problem With Time Windows, Andrew Struthers

All Master's Theses

The development of electric vehicles is currently considered one of the most innovative areas in manufacturing. Largely driven by the desire to reduce greenhouse emissions, electric vehicles are seen as a viable alternative to internal combustion engine cars. Starting from consumer cars, a dedicated effort is being made to translate this into commercial vehicles for freight and delivery. This research introduces a novel adaptive Nawaz, Enscore, Ham (NEH) algorithm with constrained nearest neighbor subtour (NEH-NN). This algorithm is tested on the standard benchmark problems in literature and used as a seed solution for the Genetic Algorithm (GA). The performance and …

Ensuring Non-Repudiation In Long-Distance Constrained Devices, Ethan Blum

Honors Theses

Satellite communication is essential for the exploration and study of space. Satellites allow communications with many devices and systems residing in space and on the surface of celestial bodies from ground stations on Earth. However, with the rise of Ground Station as a Service (GsaaS), the ability to efficiently send action commands to distant satellites must ensure non-repudiation such that an attacker is unable to send malicious commands to distant satellites. Distant satellites are also constrained devices and rely on limited power, meaning security on these devices is minimal. Therefore, this study attempted to propose a novel algorithm to allow …

Hypothyroid Disease Analysis By Using Machine Learning, Sanjana Seelam

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Thyroid illness frequently manifests as hypothyroidism. It is evident that people with hypothyroidism are primarily female. Because the majority of people are unaware of the illness, it is quickly becoming more serious. It is crucial to catch it early on so that medical professionals can treat it more effectively and prevent it from getting worse. Machine learning illness prediction is a challenging task. Disease prediction is aided greatly by machine learning. Once more, unique feature selection strategies have made the process of disease assumption and prediction easier. To properly monitor and cure this illness, accurate detection is essential. In order …

Remote Side-Channel Disassembly On Field-Programmable Gate Arrays, Brandon R. Baggett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Over the last two decades, side-channel vulnerabilities have shown to be a major threat to embedded devices. Most side-channel research has developed our understanding of the vulnerabilities to cryptographic devices due to their implementation and how we can protect them. However, side-channel leakage can yield useful information about many other processes that run on the device. One promising area that has received little attention is the side-channel leakage due to the execution of assembly instructions. There has been some work in this area that has demonstrated the idea’s potential, but so far, this research has assumed the adversary has physical …

Closing The Gap: Leveraging Aes-Ni To Balance Adversarial Advantage And Honest User Performance In Argon2i, Nicholas Harrell, Nathaniel Krakauer

CERIAS Technical Reports

The challenge of providing data privacy and integrity while maintaining efficient performance for honest users is a persistent concern in cryptography. Attackers exploit advances in parallel hardware and custom circuit hardware to gain an advantage over regular users. One such method is the use of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) to optimize key derivation function (KDF) algorithms, giving adversaries a significant advantage in password guessing and recovery attacks. Other examples include using graphical processing units (GPUs) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). We propose a focused approach to close the gap between adversarial advantage and honest user performance by leveraging the …

Understanding The Role Of Interactivity And Explanation In Adaptive Experiences, Lijie Guo

All Dissertations

Adaptive experiences have been an active area of research in the past few decades, accompanied by advances in technology such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Whether the currently ongoing research on adaptive experiences has focused on personalization algorithms, explainability, user engagement, or privacy and security, there is growing interest and resources in developing and improving these research focuses. Even though the research on adaptive experiences has been dynamic and rapidly evolving, achieving a high level of user engagement in adaptive experiences remains a challenge. %????? This dissertation aims to uncover ways to engage users in adaptive experiences by incorporating …

A Data-Driven Multi-Regime Approach For Predicting Real-Time Energy Consumption Of Industrial Machines., Abdulgani Kahraman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on methods for improving energy consumption prediction performance in complex industrial machines. Working with real-world industrial machines brings several challenges, including data access, algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the interpretation of machine learning algorithms. To effectively manage energy consumption in the industrial sector, it is essential to develop a framework that enhances prediction performance, reduces energy costs, and mitigates air pollution in heavy industrial machine operations. This study aims to assist managers in making informed decisions and driving the transition towards green manufacturing. The energy consumption of industrial machinery is substantial, and the recent increase in CO2 …

Multi-Scale Attention Networks For Pavement Defect Detection, Junde Chen, Yuxin Wen, Yaser Ahangari Nanehkaran, Defu Zhang, Adan Zeb

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Pavement defects such as cracks, net cracks, and pit slots can cause potential traffic safety problems. The timely detection and identification play a key role in reducing the harm of various pavement defects. Particularly, the recent development in deep learning-based CNNs has shown competitive performance in image detection and classification. To detect pavement defects automatically and improve effects, a multi-scale mobile attention-based network, which we termed MANet, is proposed to perform the detection of pavement defects. The architecture of the encoder-decoder is used in MANet, where the encoder adopts the MobileNet as the backbone network to extract pavement defect features. …

Chatgpt As Metamorphosis Designer For The Future Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai): A Conceptual Investigation, Amarjit Kumar Singh (Library Assistant), Dr. Pankaj Mathur (Deputy Librarian)

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to explore ChatGPT’s potential as an innovative designer tool for the future development of artificial intelligence. Specifically, this conceptual investigation aims to analyze ChatGPT’s capabilities as a tool for designing and developing near about human intelligent systems for futuristic used and developed in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Also with the helps of this paper, researchers are analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of ChatGPT as a tool, and identify possible areas for improvement in its development and implementation. This investigation focused on the various features and functions of ChatGPT that …

Completeness Of Nominal Props, Samuel Balco, Alexander Kurz

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

We introduce nominal string diagrams as string diagrams internal in the category of nominal sets. This leads us to define nominal PROPs and nominal monoidal theories. We show that the categories of ordinary PROPs and nominal PROPs are equivalent. This equivalence is then extended to symmetric monoidal theories and nominal monoidal theories, which allows us to transfer completeness results between ordinary and nominal calculi for string diagrams.

A Secure And Distributed Architecture For Vehicular Cloud And Protocols For Privacy-Preserving Message Dissemination In Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks, Hassan Mistareehi

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Given the enormous interest in self-driving cars, Vehicular Ad hoc NETworks (VANETs) are likely to be widely deployed in the near future. Cloud computing is also gaining widespread deployment. Marriage between cloud computing and VANETs would help solve many of the needs of drivers, law enforcement agencies, traffic management, etc. The contributions of this dissertation are summarized as follows: A Secure and Distributed Architecture for Vehicular Cloud: Ensuring security and privacy is an important issue in the vehicular cloud; if information exchanged between entities is modified by a malicious vehicle, serious consequences such as traffic congestion and accidents can …